I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine through NetGalley.
A lighter holiday romance with some deeper undertones. Lexie returns home for her dad's funeral. She has not had a relationship with him for many years after he left her mother and she to marry someone else. She is stunned to discover he left her half of his travel business as long as she works with the other owner. Theo has been part of the business for several years and is grieving the loss of the business owner/Lexie's father. After this rocky start, the two figure out a way to work together while learning to respect each other. I appreciate the way Stone builds up her characters and slowly lets readers see their inner wounds and scars. Each of the leads along with some of the secondary characters have been deeply hurt by past actions. And, though Richard is dead to begin the story, he plays an active role throughout.
A gentle read when dealing with traumas from the past.

A Winter Wish
3.75 ⭐️

Emily Stone always does a good job of blending together some deep emotions into a Christmassy feeling book. Per usual, this book has grief and mistrust woven into a traveling holiday story!

Lexie and Theo jointly inherit a travel company from Lexie’s late father, focused on holiday traditions around Europe. Both had very different relationships with Richard, who started the company and don’t see eye to eye on where it is headed.

I loved the traveling all over for various festivals and now I’m in the mood to check some of these out! The miscommunication during the third act was a little frustrating but I still enjoyed the storyline.

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

It was pretty cute, but I think not my style in the end. I get it is a romance book, but it felt far reaching. People can’t be forced into jobs, or given jobs, through last will and testaments. So for me the premise was just not it because it’s too unrealistic.

4 🌟

I officially have wanderlust and want to leave my family behind this holiday season.

I loved hearing about different traditions in different countries during the holidays for this book. I also enjoyed how Lexie got to know her dad differently through those who knew him at the end of his life. The third act breakup was a little 🙄 for me but this was a fun book to kick off the holiday season.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. Like all of Emily Stone's books, it has depth and heart.
The book itself takes place over a year, so it is not necessarily a Christmas book. The story centers on Lexi, who lost her distant father and learns he left half of his travel company to her and half to another employee at the company Theo. Lexi and Theo must work together across their differences and find more along the way.
Lexi's complex relationship with her father is the main focus of the book. The story also touches on finding your passion and your found family.
The pacing was a little slower than I had hoped, which is my only real complaint. The trips they took throughout the book were probably my favorite aspects.
If you are looking for a book with complex characters, lovely travel descriptions, and finding yourself as well as your person, then this is the book for you!.

Lexie father passes away and he leaves her his travel company. The only problem is, her dad also left the other half of his company to one of his workers. They have one year to make things work before anyone can sell or leave the company. A year isn't that long, is it? Lexie and Theo have to figure out how to build a successful business while learning how to deal with each other.
This was a cute story. I can't say anything earth-shattering happened. Cute characters that I would have been friends with, I would recommend A Winter Wish to anyone needing an easy book to read. Special thanks to NetGalley, Emily Stone, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 3.5 stars for me. #AWinterWish #NetGalley

Lexie finds out she is inheriting half of a small business that belonged to her late dad. She not one to stick around, but this comes with conditions, and that would be staying as co-owner with Theo who was her dad’s second in command. Theo was not a happy camper but I loved how these two started to love on each other and give each other a chance. I feel Lexie kept DRAGGING her abandonment issues with her dad, and what happened in her past when he left, and even when she found out the real truth about everything, it kept going on and on. I loved the other characters and the sappiness of the romance, travel and some of the Christmas spirit I love so much.

3.5 rounded up. This book is very reminiscent of the classic Hallmark movies that take place overseas. That part of it is very charming and interesting. I love the idea of the travel agency Theo and Lexie own. I wish I could transport myself to the places the visited. The complex issues in Lexie’s family are also well written and handled with care.

Where the book lost me was the its pacing, and the way it handled the romance between Theo and Lexie. It felt like a good slow burn at first, but ultimately I had a hard time getting emotionally invested, especially when it seemed to skip through their relationship when they finally got together, and then immediately jump into conflict. I think the story could have benefitted with being shortened in some places and actually injected with a little more Hallmark-esque fun and romance in others.

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lexie is shocked to find out her estranged father left her his holiday travel company. Reluctantly, she agrees to be part of it in hopes of turning a profit and selling the company eventually. The catch? Her father's grumpy but cute business partner also owns part of the company, and he's not making things easy on her.

Thoughts 💭
This one started off slow for me. I wasn't feeling the chemistry between the two main characters. This also has some touchy topics in regards to absentee parents, death of a parent, and other family issues. So, caution before proceeding if those are triggering to you. I warmed up to the story as it went on. Lexie and Theo grew on me even though it was a slow burn, enemies to lovers type of situation. I wouldn't necessarily classify this as a Christmas story because it happens over a long time frame (so no Hallmark vibes here). But it wrapped up nicely by the end, and the story was enjoyable overall.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

"A Winter Wish" by Emily Stone is a heartwarming romance that beautifully blends travel, love, and second chances. When Lexie unexpectedly inherits half of her estranged father’s holiday travel company, she’s thrust into a partnership with Theo, a handsome yet moody executive. Their initial tension sparks a slow-burn romance, as they navigate the world of holiday traditions together.

Stone masterfully captures the magic of travel and the complexities of human relationships. As Lexie and Theo’s undeniable chemistry unfolds, so does a deeper understanding of themselves and each other. "A Winter Wish" is a charming read filled with wanderlust, emotional growth, and the joy of discovering love in unexpected places.

I love a forced proximity romance book. Emily is the QUEEN of holiday stories… I cannot wait to purchase a print copy next month!

PS: The artwork on this book (and all her books… perfection)! 🤩

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hand clap for Theo. Loved his character.

Now Lexie, aye ya ya, she kinda dragged on and on and on in the story.

As for Lexie and Theo together, it just didn't work for me. I didn't get the chemistry. Enemies to loves is a troupe you have to sell me on, and I didn't buy it here.

However, it's a cute, fun perfect romance Christmas read, and Stone delivers fun reads... so don't discount it!

This was a sweet enemies to lovers with forced proximity romance. Lexie has been estranged from her father for years after he walked away from her mom & her when she was a child. After he passes away, Lexie learns that her father has left half his holiday travel business to Lexie. . . . He left the other half to his right hand man, Theo. Theo is grumpy, misunderstood and a rule follower.

However, as Lexie and Theo accompany the trips to ensure each is a success they are pushed together and begin to form a friendship that turns into more.

Thank you Dell for the ARC

I was given A Winter Wish by Emily Stone in exchange for my honest review.

A Winter Wish follows Lexie has she inherits half of a travel company from her estranged father. The other half of the company is left to Theo, her father’s business partner. An enemies to lovers romance that fell a little flat for me. Lexie is wanderer who doesn’t like to settle down for too long, and I couldn’t really bond with her as a character. Theo seemed a little lackluster for me.

Overall, I thought that the book was good, but not great and would be a light read for the holiday season.

Emily Stone’s Christmas books have become a fixture for kicking off the holiday season. Her stories always bring me to tears. A Winter Wish was no exception.

Lexie’s dad passes away and leaves his travel business to Lexie and his employee Theo. But there is a catch— they have to successfully run the business for a year before they can sell and collect profit.

In Emily Stone fashion this story was a bit heavier than your typical Christmas book. I enjoyed the travel element to this story. If you’re looking for something a bit heavier this holiday season be sure to pick up A Winter Wish by Emily Stone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for an advanced copy of this book!

Emily Stone books always hit just right, and this one is no different for me. Lexie resonates a bit as I, too, lost my dad when I was in my mid-20s. She is grieving his loss, but she has also been grieving for a while since she lost a solid relationship with her dad years before. Compounding this is the fact that he left her half of his travel company. The other half went to Theo- a longtime employee-- and he is resentful because Lex has been so absent.

Not only do you get misunderstandings galore, but Theo and Lex grow as characters as they begin to learn more about each other towards genuine friendship and respect, then eventually more. While romance does factor into the story, it is not the whole story and that makes the book so good! Lexie is struggling to figure out who she is and what she wants. She's figuring out how to grieve and grow. Great read!

This was a great read! I would recommend it to a friend. I loved it! Five stars. This book is a captivating exploration of human emotions and relationships. The narrative unfolds through the lives of richly developed characters, each facing unique challenges and growth. The author’s prose is both lyrical and engaging, drawing readers into the story with vivid imagery and relatable experiences.

I have mixed feelings on this book. I really wanted to like it. It sounded like a great story. But I started reading it and I just couldn’t get into it. I thought Lexie was rude and so stand offish. I do get a little of why but she seemed so selfish at times too. And Theo just seemed rude as well. So that set me off some. I liked the side characters for the most part. I did like when Theo and Lexie started really liking each other. They did make the book a little better. But then Lexie acts selfish again and I struggled again. The ending was sweet so that did help!

I really enjoyed “A Winter Wish” and the characters. I love the theme, a travel company who specializes in holiday trips and it really has me wanting to do the same for specific holidays in other places. The characters were definitely made for each other as in any romance, in my opinion. I really look forward to reading more books by Emily Stone as this was my first and I liked her writing.

When I received this ARC, in the middle of summer, I wasn't ready to read a christmas story. But then, Autumn settled, and suddenly it was the perfect time.
Lexie is a young woman who loves to travel. She can't imagine a life where she has to settle, and prefers the no-strings no-commitments style of life she's living.
Just before christmas, her mother informs her that her father has passed. And she comes back to Bath, to realise that she inherited his travel company. Well, half of the company. The rest goes to Theo, former employee, who seems to hate her on the spot...

This story goes slowly, the characters living their life as they process their feelings. And after the good old 'enemies to lovers" vibes, this story goes into a "friends to lovers", and more... And there are also family problems that are solved, old resentments that are explained, and finally, Lexie and Theo grow up together and learn to live a happy life, as they wished for it. I really love this book, thant you for sending it to me :-)